Charles Darwin may be the most influential figure in modern scientific thinking with his simple, seemingly obvious observations regarding the nature of the phenomenal world. Charles Darwin concluded that the explanation for the miraculous complexity of life on planet earth was due to a few simple truths in biological systems. Not only does Darwin’s theory of natural selection neatly explain the origin of species but also offers significant insight into the deep nature of the material world in all the scientific disciplines.
You will be working on your own and every student turns in their project on their own. You may not copy another student’s research or project. You will be expected to find the modern organism's earliest ancestors and describe in general terms the intermediate species, which describe the arc of its evolution. Since Darwin contended that each organism met the test for survival you should be able to describe some of the adaptations, which define your organism. You should also provide a timeline for your organism’s evolution. Finally you have to research the current environmental pressures on this animal and give a hypothesis for its future.
Search terms to begin with include the name of the animal or species that you are researching. In addition you may want to combine the name of your animal with terms such as evolution, ancestors, and origin.
